Terrible rollercoaster of hope and despair as fears grow for youngest hostages Kfir and Ariel Bibas

The world is waiting with mounting trepidation to hear if toddler Kfir Bibas, his brother Ariel and mother Shiri have survived captivity.

Yarden and Shiri Bibas with their sons Kfir and Ariel. Picture: Supplied

If there is one hostage who resonates beyond Israel it is Kfir Bibas, the toddler with the adorable smile who is the youngest prisoner remaining in Hamas hands.

The world is now waiting, with mounting trepidation, to find out the fate of the child – who turned two in captivity – his five-year-old brother Ariel and their mother Shiri.

On Wednesday (local time) as their names once more were excluded from Hamas’ latest list of the next three hostages to be freed, the Israeli government demanded the terror group provide official information about their status.

When the young family were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023 – their abduction distressingly shown in harrowing detail on social media posts by the Hamas terrorists – Kfir was just nine months old, while Ariel was four.

The trio have not been among those freed in the last two weeks despite Hamas’ declaration that women and males under military age would be the first to be handed over.

The militant group said in November the family had died in an IDF attack – and cruelly filmed the children’s father Yarden allegedly being given the news in captivity.

But the fact their names were on the list of the first 33 hostages to be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas gave the family new hope.

However on Monday, the terror group admitted that eight of the remaining 26 captives are dead, and Israeli Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari admitted there were grave fears for the safety of the Bibas family.

Ariel Bibas (R) and Kfir.

Shiri Bibas with her sons Ariel and Kfir.

Earlier this week, Israel’s representative to the United Nations Danny Danon held up a large picture of Kfir, saying: “We have received no word, nothing about his condition. You have forgotten about Kfir Bibas, but I promise you, we haven’t. Kfir was nine months old when he was taken from his bed along with his four-year-old brother. There have been no visits from the Red Cross, and no outcry from the UN.”

While the situation is clearly grave, the family still clings to the faintest of hopes that Hamas was lying and deliberately torturing Israeli relatives back in 2023 when they pronounced Shiri and the two boys had perished.

Everyone is holding their breath hoping against hope that this family – the emblem of Israeli horror of that grim October day – are not among the eight who have perished in captivity.

Yet is almost as though no one wants to be the bearer of such catastrophic news which threatens to tip the national psyche into the deepest of dark holes.

For family and friends of the Bibas family, the past 16 months have been a rollercoaster of trepidation and anxiety.

Shiri’s sister Ofir and her cousin Jimmy Miller have been relentless in their calls for the family to be released. They are particularly prominent at rallies, often wearing bright orange clothing and hi-vis jackets to represent the ginger colour of the two boys’ hair, or a batman shirt, Ariel’s favourite outfit.

Ariel and Kfir Bibas in their Batman outfits.

The extended family said their world came crashing down when the latest list of hostages named the Bibas family, only to be excluded from the first two releases of seven hostages. It would have been expected that the children would have been handed over first, if they were alive.

The family released a statement saying: “It’s morning 477 (since the October 7 horrors), yesterday at 16:00 when the names were published, our world collapsed on us, we were hoping to see Shiri and the children on the list. Thank you, dear supporters, for not giving up, continuing to pray”.

Certainly the outcry Israel launched when the release of one of the Israeli hostages, Arbel Yehud, was delayed last weekend, sends a concerning message

Jerusalem refused to allow Palestinians into northern Gaza until Hamas confirmed Ms Yehud would be among Thursday’s freed prisoners, amid concerns the delay in her release could derail ceasefire talks.

Israeli media is now asking the crucial question: Why not a similar threat over the Bibas babies unless the authorities already know they are dead?

On Monday the family said: “We said then, and we say now: We hold on to hope and continue waiting for their return. We await clarity regarding their condition”.

On Wednesday supporters of the family asked the public around the world to wear orange in support of the little family.

“The people of Israel haven’t forgotten the Bibas family!” social media posts said. “Join us and together we will colour the country in orange.”

Yet Mr Miller admitted the latest information “is not good”.

He said: “The army is afraid about the state in which they will be returned, but nothing is proven yet.”

The family also released a statement stressing that until they had certainty one way or the other they could believe nothing.

“The list that was recently forwarded by Hamas to Israel is not a list of names and does not change our standpoint,” the family said in the statement. “Even a list of names, an announcement by Hamas, or any video is not considered certainty for us.

“Since October 7th, when the video of the cruel abduction was published, we have been living in fear and anxiety for their fate every minute of every day.

“We ask you to respect Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir, as well as the entire family, and refrain from spreading rumours or speculations that unsettle us.

“Until there is certainty, this is not the end for us. That has been our approach until now, and it will remain so. We continue to hope.

“We are waiting for them, and for all the other hostages, to return home.”